# Phoney War begins (1939)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1939-phoney-war-begins
Location: Western Front
Categories: battle

Months of limited ground combat followed mobilization behind the Maginot Line. Within the broader Third Republic period, The Third Republic survived war, the Commune, constitutional crises and fierce ideological conflict. It expanded mass schooling and empire, faced the Dreyfus Affair, fought World War I and entered the troubled interwar era. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Albert Lebrun (President of the French Republic). Phoney War begins mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Phoney War begins mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Albert Lebrun](https://history-france.com/rulers/albert-lebrun)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Phoney War begins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Phoney+War+begins&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Phoney War begins](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Phoney+War+begins)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)